As promised, we said we would let you know what was discussed at the Peel Ports meeting last week. They weren’t expecting us to minute the meeting so we had to get these notes approved by them beefier publishing. To be honest , we were not censored by them.

If you have any further questions or comments please use our contact page. Thank you, FCC Members

If you want to get involved in working to stop oil rigs being decommissioned so close to our village write to our MSPs, MP and Environment Minsters. The more individual letters they receive, the more attention they will give the matter.

New date for the Marine Scotland pre-consultation event: 8th August 2018, Fairlie Village Hall, 2 pm to 7pm.

In April 2018 NAC granted Peelports planning permission to prepare a ‘marine yard’ and the coal jetty for dismantling oil rigs and large vessels without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). That means they can dredge, pile drive, and re-landscape coast line without needing to protect the unique adjacent SSSI, colonies of seals and porpoises, a unique ‘lone’ dolphin, and the Clyde marine area which is highly dependent upon tourism and fisheries.

However, SEPA and Marine Scotland also need to give Peelports permission to do this. We need to make sure our voices are heard and Peelports are made to do an EIA at the very least.

Peelports are currently demolitioning equipment on the Coal Jetty, working at least 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. The beach and waters are being contaminated with silt and coal dust which our families and dogs are swimming in and playing on. How much worse will this be when oil rigs are being taken apart there?

In June we put a leaflet through your door asking you to attend Marine Scotland’s pre-consultation public event at Sea Mill Hydro regarding the construction of a huge ‘caisson gate’ which will allow oil rigs to float in and out of the marine yard. The hotel actually cancelled the event due to “concerns about public order”. At that time, 1400 people had signed the on-line petition “Protect Clyde Marine Life: STOP PeelPorts Oil-Rig Decommissioning Facility” *. Now over 2200 have signed and rising!

Jobs for local people have not been promised, and at other similar sites employees are living on ‘off shore accommodation’ and contributing very little to the local economies.

We need to make sure that Marine Scotland deny permission, or at worst require an EIA. We know that about four tonnes of radioactive waste (scale, sludge and sediments) has been found in each offshore installation decommissioned in Norway. We will also have to cope with the noise and light pollution.

FCC met with Peelports on the 12th July when Peelports told them that after 50 years at the Hunterston Parc they know the site is very profitable. The meeting notes will be published in the next few days.

Help us to help you to live in a safe and clean environment.

Sign the petition * and come along on the 8th August 2018 to make your views heard by Marine Scotland.

Peelports held a statutory Marine Scotland Pre-Consultation event at Seamill Hydro on the 22nd February 2018. The public notice indicates that the developments at the Hunterston Platform Yard and this Consultation concerned construction of a jetty and ‘alterations’ to the abutments.

Representatives from Peelports, Arch Henderson LLP and EnviroCentre Ltd were present but were difficult to identify and was left to the public to try and ascertain who was responsible for different aspect of the proposed development. It was impossible to engage in coherent communication and ascertain any facts as continually directed to different representatives.

People from Isle of Bute and the Cumbraes have expressed concern that due to travel and ferry constraints that it was impracticable for them to attend the event.

Before the event we emailed Arch Henderson LLP for further information and to express some concerns as instructed in the Public Notice. We were told that these concerns would be addressed at the Pre-Consultation event. This did not happen.

The only information on display consisted of the HUNTERSTON PARC flyer for Jetty Expansion (below) and a plan of the Construction Yard. There is limited information contained in this flyer. The only ‘useful’ information is a photograph of the proposed Pier/Dock development location. There was no information on the dock construction or construction of the abutments or caisson gates.

There was no information of the environmental sensitivities or impacts from this development to the Southannan SSSI.

There was no information on how the wider proposal of oil rig decommissioning will effect the Clyde sea area.

There was no information or social economic appraisal and how this development will effect the tourist offering of the North Coast.

The only environmental data that was present was an ‘illegal copy’ of Clyde Porpoise CIC sightings. A poster was presented to mislead the public and give impression that EnviroCentre Ltd Consultants were working with the marine mammal project. The director of Clyde Porpoise CIC confiscated the poster (below).

Fairlie Community Council are meeting to discuss the pre-consultation event on Monday 5th March 2018. Please note that comments about the proposal and general comments about the event must be submitted by the 8th March 2018 to Arch Henderson LLP and/or Marine Scotland.

Marine Scotland have given their opinion that an Environmental Impact Assessment is not necessary for constructing a massive oil-rig jetty and one of Europe’s largest caisson ‘dry dock’ gate structures at the Hunterston yard. These developments will require a considerable amount of dredging and impact pile driving and may have significant impact on local marine animals and the integrity of Southannan Site of Special Scientific Interest. Developers and planners seem to be relying on ‘scoping reports’ to capture Ministers opinion and left by the statutory and regulatory authorities to develop their own in-house environmental policy. There has been no consideration to wider group and public interests in developing the environmental statements put forward for Hunterston decommissioning yard. This seems contrary to National Planning policy and guidance.

Fairlie Community Council is concerned by the ‘quasi-deccommisioned’ status of the Hunterston Coal Terminal and on going pollution that is impacting the Southannan SSSI. FCC reported the issue to Scottish Natural Heritage, Marine Scotland, Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and the Clyde Marine Planning Partnership. In the spirit of community involvement in the participatory planning process we invited these organisations to visit Fairlie but they have failed to engage with our coastal community. Peel Port commissioned their own ‘Coal Migration Report‘ in a knee-jerk response to our concerns. The findings and lack of effective recommendations are unacceptable to Fairlie Community Council and we are now calling for a rigorous environmental appraisal of Southannan SSSI and surrounding marine environment.